Written for Reena’s Xploration Challenge 411.
The following quote is suggested as our muse:
“It was not my idea, but it happened.”
This is where my imagination took me.
Tag: Wedding
Making Magic
Our gracious host, Rochelle, is asking us to get
creative in 100 words or less using the photo
seen below. Welcome to Friday Fictioneers.
This is where the prompt took me.
RDP Wednesday: thunderstruck
Written for RDP, where sgeoil asks us
to get creative with the word ‘thunderstruck’.
Thanks, Heather! Here’s my take.
Discarded
Our gracious host, Rochelle, at Friday Fictioneers
encourages us to be creative by writing a story in
100 words or less using the photo shown below.
Here’s where the photo prompt took me.
Gettin’ Hitched!
Written for “A Dawg’s Challenge 4 Ewe”
where Ernie has provided us with a bunch of
homonyms and invites us to get creative
using at least three of the sound-alike words.
Click the link to see the homonyms. Here’s my story.
Big Day
Our gracious host, Rochelle, at Friday Fictioneers
asks us to use the photo below as inspiration
to write creatively in 100 words or less while
making every word count. This is my flash.
Take Me Back Home Now
Written for dVerse Poets Tuesday Poetics:
The Opticians Words where the challenge is
to use one or two or more sets of words in a poem
in the order in which they appear. This is my poem.
One summer I took his name.
“This means you are mine
and I am yours” he sighed as
we arose from the cold, damp floor.
I stepped nearer for him to remove
my veil and stared into his glistening
indigo eyes, blue-black like the crow.
Grazing his mouth with mine,
lips barely touching, I murmured
“Take me back home now, my love,
to our wedding bed
in the caves by the sea.
Read sonnets and verses to me
as waves churn and cream
against the ocean’s shore.”
NAR©2025
This is “White Wedding” by Billy Idol
The prompt words:
nose – one – cause – even
were – crone – our – summer
name – use – means – arose
near – can – remove – sure
crow – verse – see – renew
assume – once- van – sum
aware – caves – sea – cream
All text, graphics and videos are copyright for Nancy ~ The Sicilian Storyteller, Nancy (The Sicilian Storyteller), The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephant’s Trunk, and The Rhythm Section, and are not to be used without permission. NAR©2017-present.
Dance With Me: A Quadrille
Written for dVerse Poets Quadrille #215:
“Ready For Liftoff”. Our host De Jackson,
aka WhimsyGizmo, invites us to “pen a
pithy poem of just 44 words, including
some semblance of the word LIFT”.
This is my quadrille.
When The Vow Breaks ~ A Quadrille
Written for dVerse Poets Quadrille Monday
where we are asked to write a 44 word poem in
the format of our choice incorporating the word
‘promise’. Here is my promise quadrille.
#9 Dream
Sometimes you see an image
and you know it’s perfect for your story.
This is Kevin’s pic from No Theme Thursday: 10.17.24
and here is my story.
Going To The Mattresses*
Written for Weekend Writing Prompt #381 where
Sammi asks us to use the prompt word “bungle” and
get creative in exactly 41 words. Here’s my flash.
Dio mio! I’m afraid I’ve bungled things quite badly.
While planning the seating arrangement for my son’s wedding, I inadvertently placed Zia Carmella at Table 1 and her sister, Zia Francesca, at Table 2.
An insult! Disgrazia!
This means war!
NAR©2024
41 Words
* In times of war or siege, Italian families would vacate their homes and rent apartments in safer areas. In order to protect themselves they would hire soldiers to sleep on the floor in shifts. The meaning of the phrase “going to the mattresses” symbolizes the association in Italian folk-memory of mattresses with safety in wartime. The phrase wasn’t well known outside the US and Italy prior to the Godfather movies. It was used there, and later in The Sopranos, to mean “preparing for battle”.
When Kay met Michael, scenes from an Italian wedding (Godfather, 1972) featuring Al Martino as Johnny Fontane. This is “I Have But One Heart (O Marenariello)”
All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephant’s Trunk and The Rhythm Section and are not to be used without permission. NAR©2017-present.
I Gemelli
Resemblance can be a freaky thing. Supposedly everyone has a doppelgänger; someone out there is a duplicate of you with your mother’s eyes, your father’s nose and that annoying mole you’ve always wanted to have removed. We might even have several pairs of clones walking around, each totally unaware of the other’s existence.
It’s been said the longer people have a pet, the more they begin to resemble that pet. Dogs have been matched by strangers to their owners time and time again. The same is true for people; have you ever seen a long-married couple who now look like a set of bookends?
I have many relatives in Italy and Sicily; my family has always said one particular cousin and I have looked like each other since birth. We were born days apart and are called “I Gemelli” … “The Twins”. The first time my cousin Franco and I met, we just stared at each other in fascination. I think Franco and I do bear a strong resemblance however his eyes are blue while mine are green and he’s got a lot more facial hair than I do! LOL! And we have the same Sicilian nose!
The other day I wrote about my best friend Debby and how alike we are, not just our personalities but our physical appearance as well. One of my WP friends was quite interested in my story and left several comments and questions. I promised I’d write a little bit more about me and Debby … two unrelated women who could pass for sisters, perhaps twins at times.
I can’t explain how these things happen but events at my son’s wedding a few years ago proved the old saying true: fact is stranger than fiction.
There were a lot people at the wedding … family, friends, coworkers. My sister, Rosemarie, was there as was my friend Debby. The time arrived during the wedding reception for a family photo session. The music was playing, people were dancing and milling about. Janet, the wedding photographer, was scrambling around trying to wrangle immediate family members for photos. Craning her neck for a better look into the crowded room, Janet turned to me in surprise and said, “You’ve been holding out on me!”
I had no idea what Janet was talking about and asked her what she meant. She replied, “I know your husband has a twin brother but I had no idea you have a twin sister!”
This conversation went back and forth for a little while … me trying to convince Janet that I didn’t have a twin sister and Janet insisting I did! Of course, Janet was talking about Debby! I laughed and said to her “I really hate to burst your twin bubble but she’s not my sister; she’s my best friend.” When I spotted Rosemarie on the dance floor, I said to Janet, “See the woman in the cream-colored dress? She’s my sister.” I guess I really couldn’t blame Janet; even my new daughter-in-law’s relatives thought the same thing. To make matters more confusing, Debby and I were wearing the same dress (totally unplanned)! Mine was deep purple while hers was dark blue.
It took a lot of convincing for Janet to finally accept the fact that Debby wasn’t my sister and that Rosemarie was. I guess the idea of two sets of twins in the same room was just too exciting for Janet … a missed photo op! I wonder if the same people who matched the pet owners with their dogs would match me and Debby as sisters?
You be the judge.
Twins? Maybe, maybe not, but the resemblance is strong….
….except for my actual sister! Go figure!
NAR©2024
Remember this? Here’s the theme song from The Patty Duke Show called “Identical Cousins”
All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephant’s Trunk and The Rhythm Section and are not to be used without permission. NAR©2017-present.
Champagne On Ice
Jenne, our delightful host at The Unicorn Challenge,
has once again asked us to write something creative
in no more than 250 words based on how
the photo below inspires us.
This is my response.
The pathway to my future seemed incredibly long and I could easily imagine myself escaping down a side aisle. What kind of thought was that for a bride on her wedding day?
“Well, we got lucky, sweetheart; the rain held off. Emme, are you ready? The musicians are waiting for my signal.”
I turned to face my father. “Daddy” was all I managed to eke out before the tears started. I hadn’t called my father Daddy in years.
Dad motioned for the music to keep playing and magically produced a handkerchief. “What’s going on, kiddo?”
“This doesn’t feel right, Dad. I’m about to marry Gregory because of a promise I made to Mom.”
“Emme, if you want to back out, I’ll stand by whatever decision you make. But it’s best for everyone if you do it now, not after you’re married.”
“But you spent so much money to make this day perfect.”
Dad put his hands on my shoulders. “Damn the money and damn the promises. All I want is for you to be happy. If you think this is a mistake, say the word. My car is parked right outside.”
“What about Gregory?” I asked biting my bottom lip.
“I’ll talk to him privately, Emme. Don’t worry about that.”
I looked at my father and quickly nodded. He reached into his pocket and handed me the keys to his car.
“Go on now. I have some explaining to do.” He kissed my cheek and took off down the path.
NAR©2024
250 Words
This is “Hotel California” by the Eagles
All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephant’s Trunk and The Rhythm Section and is not for use by anyone without permission. NAR©2017-present.
RSVP
“Why don’t you invite Tony Bennett to the wedding?”
That’s something you might expect to hear Barbra Streisand or Billy Joel say – certainly not me! But I did make that suggestion and here’s how it all came about.
It was probably around 2004 when my son, Bill, first met Tony Bennett. I say “first” because Bill had the pleasure of working with Tony numerous times … at the tree lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center, the Grammy Awards and other gigs.
You see, Bill’s been a teleprompter for a lot of years; he’s had the great opportunity of working with celebrities ranging from Paul McCartney to Big Bird. His jobs are as varied as crayons in a jumbo Crayola box and just as colorful. I’m not going to bore you with names but the list is impressive. That’s how Bill met Tony.
These gigs – many of which are live – don’t happen in just one take. The crew and the performers (or “talent”, as they’re known in the business) can wind up spending a great deal of time on the set. Some talent remain aloof; others, like Tony Bennett, are the type to pull up a chair in the lounge and eat lunch with the crew.
Now I don’t want to brag but I raised a good son. Bill is a hard worker, agreeable, unassuming, pleasant, attractive and funny. Tony and Bill enjoyed working with each other very much – so much so that when Tony was asked to perform at the tree lighting again the following year, he requesting my son by name.
During down time at a rehearsal in 2007, Bill was talking about his upcoming wedding and Tony happened to be within earshot. He came over to congratulate Bill and they talked about “things” for a while. Tony wished Bill “a happy life”, shook his hand and that was that – until I found out about it that night. And I said what any mom would say:
“Why don’t you invite Tony Bennett to the wedding? He just might say ‘yes’.”
I gave Bill an invitation for him to give Tony the next day. He took it and placed it in his backpack. Well, let’s just say my son is a bit more circumspect than me; he opted not to impose on Tony and did not extend the invitation. I was a bit bummed out but it was Bill’s decision to make, not mine.
Still … can you just imagine what a gas it would have been if Tony Bennett had come to my son’s wedding?
NAR © 2023
MR. & MRS. BILL
UPDATE:
Mrs. Bill just read her story to Mr. Bill
who smiled sweetly, told her it was a
wonderful story, just like all her others,
and very nicely reminded her that it was
actually their 51st wedding anniversary,
not their 52nd. They say it’s the short-term memory
that’s the first to go.
😂 🍾 🥂 😂
It was 52 years ago on this day in June when a young woman sat in the kitchen of the finished basement of her family’s home in The Bronx, NY. This was the only home she knew and now she was about to leave.
She was ready. She was always ready, never late a day in her life. And she wasn’t the least bit nervous. She’s Sicilian!
Here she was, dressed in her finest at 9:30 in the morning, eating Oreo cookies dunked in a tall glass of milk while everyone upstairs was running around like a bunch of headless chickens.
And by her finest I mean her wedding gown! Who eats chocolatey Oreos while wearing a pristine white wedding dress? She does!
Let them run around upstairs checking things off the “To Do” list. She figured if it wasn’t done by now, it probably wasn’t very important.
No, she was ready – not just for her wedding day but for every day to come. And not a dribble of Oreo-speckled milk anywhere on her spotless dress.
In exactly 90 minutes she was going to marry the finest man she’d ever met. Of course, he was handsome and tanned and smelled like salt water and Aqua Velva. He was insanely smart, brilliant actually, and funny as hell but not in a goofy way. He was clever and kind and amazing. And he treated her like cut glass.
He was tone deaf and colorblind – two things she definitely was not – but she was willing to overlook those flaws. When your world spins a little faster and your heart does a tarantella when you’re with him, little things like that don’t matter.
Well, she better go brush the Oreos out of her teeth, although that would make for unforgettable wedding photos! She headed off to the bathroom, the train of her wedding gown flowing behind her. She grinned at her image in the mirror and cracked up.
This was a big day. The biggest. The best. The beginning of Mr. & Mrs. Bill.
And, to top it all off, there was going to be cake!
Happy 52nd Anniversary, my love, my Mister Bill. Something tells me we’re in this for the long haul.
Cake, anyone?
NAR © 2023
NICE DAY FOR A WEDDING
“Well, we got lucky, sweetheart; the rain held off. Ella, are you ready? The musicians are waiting for my signal.”
I could hear the sound of my dad’s voice but his words were garbled like I was under water and my thoughts were being carried away by the current. When I didn’t answer, my dad motioned for one of the musicians and told him to “just keep playing”.
My dad and I were always close, even more after my mom passed away last year. He knew me better than anyone; when I didn’t answer his question, he stood silently by my side waiting patiently. I knew he was concerned and I loved him more than ever for not pushing me.
We were standing at the doorway to my future. A hundred or so guests sat far enough away so that I could not see them nor could they see me. The top of a white tent far down the pathway on the left side was barely visible – the tent where my groom James was waiting.
We fell in love with the view of this breathtaking winery after attending a wine tasting with friends. All we could talk about for weeks afterwards was how lush and green everything looked; James said he couldn’t think of a more beautiful spot to get married. Next thing I knew we were engaged and now, at the worst possible moment, I was having doubts.
My relationship with James was meteoric; we met at a bar where we were both plastered. I had just split with my long-term boyfriend and on the same day learned that my mother had pancreatic cancer. James’ fiancé had just broken off their engagement after learning she was pregnant by some other guy and was going to marry her baby daddy. Needless to say we were both miserable; even in a drunken state our antennae went up and we found each other, commiserated, got even more drunk, went back to his place and had sex.
What should have been a one-night stand turned into a relationship and in record time we were “a thing”. James is a doctor which impressed the hell out of my mother and she fell instantly in love with him. He was wonderful to her; that’s something I will never deny. Mom kept saying what a great catch he was, how I shouldn’t let him get away. Her dying wish was for us to be married.
And why not? We weren’t kids, we both had great jobs, we wanted the same things in life and we were in love. But shortly after my mom passed away, I began to feel not so much in love with James as I thought I was. Sweeping away the detritus of negative thoughts from my head, we set a date for the wedding. How could I break a promise to my mother? How could I ignore my commitment to James? My heart told me one thing while my brain told me another. I shut out the voices in my head and they were quiet for a while. Today, on my wedding day, my brain was screaming at me.
The pathway leading to the tent seemed incredibly long and I could easily imagine myself escaping down one of the side paths between the hedges. What kind of thought was that for a bride on her wedding day? I was not one for fanciful imaginings; what I was feeling was very real. My knees buckled slightly and my dad steadied me.
“Talk to me, kiddo.”
I turned to face my dad. “Daddy” was all I managed to eke out before the tears started. I hadn’t called my father Daddy in years.
Dad magically produced a handkerchief. “What’s going on, honey?”
“This doesn’t feel right, Dad. I’m about to marry James because of a promise I made to Mom.”
“Ella, if you want to back out, I’ll stand by whatever decision you make. But it’s best for everyone if you do it now, not after you’re married.”
My dad’s love for me was boundless and all I could manage to say was “But you spent so much money to make this day perfect.”
Dad put his hands on my shoulders. “Damn the money and damn the promises. All I want is for you to be happy. If you think this is a mistake, say the word. My car is parked right outside.”
“What about James?” I asked biting my bottom lip.
“I’ll talk to him privately, Ella. Don’t worry about that.”
I looked at my dad and quickly nodded. He reached into his pocket and handed me the keys to his car.
“Go on now. I have some explaining to do.” He kissed my cheek and took off down the aisle.
NAR © 2022
In response to Sadje’s picture prompt on What do you see #158 October 31, 2022
The Elephant's Trunk 